Heavy scrutiny has continued to follow Kylian Mbappe since his long-awaited Real Madrid move over the summer. The 25-year-old French star must learn to play as a central striker because he will not be able to displace Vinicius Junior on the left flank, according to the club’s long-serving former forward Karim Benzema, who made 14 international appearances alongside him for Les Bleus.
Benzema: Mbappe isn’t a real #9, but he can’t give up
THIS was never going to be a seamless transition, adding another superstar into a team stacked with notable names, Ballon d’Or nominees and mainstays in a Champions League-winning side constantly looking to improve at every turn.
Kylian Mbappe has eight goals and two assists in 14 appearances for Los Blancos since joining on a free in July, though the discourse has surrounded his teething problems in a position he doesn’t feel comfortable playing: the number nine role.
Vinicius Junior’s consistent form means Carlo Ancelotti has kept Mbappe as the focal point of their attacking trio in the middle, though he’s best effective when utilised from the left wing as we’ve seen time and again during nine years in France.
Benzema, who experienced his fair share of critics in Madrid before blossoming out of the Cristiano Ronaldo-shaped shadow to become Real’s second top goalscorer of all-time, had this to say on Spanish television show El Chiringuito:
“The problem in my opinion, is that [Mbappe] is not a central striker – even with the national team – every time he plays as a number nine he doesn’t feel right, because that’s not his position. On the left, he’s got a guy at the same level as him [Vinicius] so there’s a problem, you can’t play Vinicius as a nine or on the right.”
Benzema, who departed in a lucrative multi-year deal to join the Saudi Arabian revolution with Al-Ittihad last July, warned his compatriot that goal droughts lasting more than 2-3 games aren’t good enough to appease fervent fans.
“Mbappe isn’t a real nine, people ask a lot of him and he’s under a lot of pressure, this isn’t Paris Saint-Germain. He’s got to get it into his head … forget about the left flank for a while.”
Vinicius Junior has eight goals and five assists in 14 games this term while finishing second in the 2024 Ballon d’Or voting for world’s best player behind Manchester City midfielder Rodri, sidelined for the rest of the campaign with a torn ACL injury.
It’s still early days but the noise surrounding Real is unique to them, something Mbappe will know intimately having been PSG’s flagbearer for several seasons – especially after Neymar and Lionel Messi both departed Paris. We’ll wait and see.
Picture source: Getty Images, quotes hyperlinked
Mo and Sports 